<p>I think several people have touched on what I was thinking. When I was approaching college ( maybe when your parents did), kids without money did not have Ivies on their radar. We went to state schools where we mgiht be able to work and borrow enough to graduate. Now Ivies are trying to encourage economic diversity, so it seems like it's "fair" that if you have the grades, you should get to go. I think it's nice when it works for some people, but it seems like a really small number that will have just the right balance of grades and money, and a family that thinks it's worth it ( smart legacies?). On the other hand, are the options any better now for kids with the grades but not the money? Merit money at the lower teired schools, for a better experience than some of my generation got? I don't know the answer to this.</p>
<p>I'm guessing this is especially frustratrating for the OP since up until now he/she probably hasn't been denied much for financial reasons. Just a guess on my part, but parents who are making (and spending) enough that they don't qualify for assistance at HYPSM (and yet have not saved any money for kids' college) probably have provided this child with a beautiful home, lots of nice clothes, some vacations, and a car, maybe?</p>
<p>So, no, life isn't fair -- not for the kids who grew up without the amentities you have enjoyed so far, nor for you. But consider this a growth experience, OP. As the Stones sang so many years ago: "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Hopefully -- like most adults -- you will eventually figure out that's not the end of the world, especially since "if you try sometime you just might find, you get what you need."</p>
<p>I'm with Shrinkrap. Today, many students (at least on CC) think that they should be able to go to any school, regardless of cost, or desire of the family to pay. When I was in HS, many would have loved to apply to elite schools, but when the parents said SUNY was all that was on the horizon, they gladly obliged. Period, end of discussion.</p>
<p>To be fair, and to let you know where I get my opinion from, I came from a lower income family, and was a star in my HS. I applied to elite schools, and did not get in at the most selective ones that I applied to. I did get into a school that I considered to be very desirable, and with financial aid, work study and loans, I finished. The loans and the work study were no pleasure. I barely got any money from my parents, certainly not the EFC or anywhere near it. In their opinion, I could have lived at home, and there was a school I could have gone to for almost nothing so why should they give more??? They did not have enough money to spare in their opinion. By the way, it was their money.</p>
<p>Who can blame your parents for their opinions, if they were successful with educations from State colleges. You probably have great options for low or lower costs at other places. HYPMS degrees are NO guarantee of happiness or success. </p>
<p>Try to examine your feelings on a more mature level. Wouldn't everyone like to live in a fabulous house, drive a great car, etc., etc. There is no fairy godmother out there to give you all these things, obviously. Yes people can spend time bemoaning their lives that they were not born rich or richer, but this is a collossal waste. Go out and "knock 'em dead" with what you can do. Don't waste a minute on "life's not fair."</p>
<p>A co worker of mine years ago told me about a woman who went to law school even though she had no arms, and no legs. What is fair?</p>
<p>Due to my father's job, I could go tuition free to a state U. The benefit was not transferable to any other school. As far as my family was concerned, my college was covered. I could go to a branch of the state U and live at home, work part time for spending money and save enough to finish up the last two years at the main campus when they would help pay what it would take. That I wanted to go to other schools was just fine, but I had to find the money, something I accepted as fair as well. Granted, however, that back then, it seems the financial aid was more generous. I say this because my father was a govt worker, and I can see what he would make at his GS rating today, and it would not amount to much financial aid . In my day, it covered half the cost of a high end private education, and I got merit money for the rest. In fact, I made money on scholarships my first year, something that is not permissable today. Also COA was about 10% of today's and the pay level has not gone up by as much at all. Many of the scholarships I got were in thousand dollar increments which made a nice dent in a total cost of $6K but would not help a $50K situation much at all. A good example is the the National Merit scholarship. That $2k was a good size piece of the tuition, now it barely touches today's charges, yet the amount has not gone up a bit.</p>
<p>"That sucks. All your life you prepare yourself to get into your dream school, then you get news that you need to pay for it..."</p>
<p>Whenever I hear a kid mention "dream school" I know there's a problem coming.</p>
<p>Not sure where this concept came from-- that there's only one school that's perfect for an individual, and that price shouldn't be a consideration.</p>
<p>Stuff costs money. Any reasonably bright kid should have researched the schools they're considering,determined the sticker price, should have taken a look at the financial aid track record of those schools, and have a pretty good feel for whether that school might work given the family financial situation. And the parents of that reasonably bright kid should have made clear that there is no one "dream school," and further that there was no guarantee that the family could afford any school the kid was accepted to.</p>
<p>When I went to school, in my neighborhood, kids also looked at elite schools. I lived on "the poorer side" of town; my parents chose the town for its excellent school system. My parents encouraged me to apply to any school I wanted to, but I knew from the get-go that I was going to the school that was cheapest after financial aid. And that's what I did. At the time, no school promised to meet 100% of need. I took out loans (and paid them back over 20 years), worked, and tried to make life as easy as possible for my parents. After all, it wasn't my money, it was theirs.</p>
<p>And that's the bottom line - the money isn't yours, it's your parents'.</p>
<p>I'd also recommend you go for a merit scholarship at great college. They're there to be had and it sounds like you're an excellent candidate. Take the money and enjoy college. Going into deep debt is not an enviable position to find yourself in.</p>
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OP, I think you may be in some luck. I've seen some of your stats, which are extremely impressive. Granted, you may not be able to afford HYPSM but if you look at their peers like Duke, Caltech, UChicago, and WashU, Vandy, Emory, Rice etc. I think you'd be very viable for a full tuition scholarship at these schools which would make paying for college a lot easier. If you're willing to look at schools a little lower look at great schools like USC, you will almost certainly get a full scholarship there and it is in not much of a step down. If you still live in California I'm pretty sure you'd be in for the maximum scholarship at the UC's. A 2400 and 800's on several SAT II's will go a very long way towards $$.
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<p>Thank you(and everyone else in this thread who has helped me) very much for your help and suggestions. I will definitely further investigate those schools that would give me some merit aid. </p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm guessing this is especially frustratrating for the OP since up until now he/she probably hasn't been denied much for financial reasons. Just a guess on my part, but parents who are making (and spending) enough that they don't qualify for assistance at HYPSM (and yet have not saved any money for kids' college) probably have provided this child with a beautiful home, lots of nice clothes, some vacations, and a car, maybe?
[/quote]
To answer your questions, yes, I live in large house. However, this house is situated 20 miles from my high school and all my friends and driving to school by itself costs me about 5$ a day. I buy all my own clothes and everything else that I make use of except for food. I bought my own car and pay for the gas/insurance/payments. I have rarely been denied things for financial reasons because I have always been able to save for however long it takes and work to pay off the things that I require. These items, however, do not nearly approach the costs of college, and if I was to attend a school such as MIT I doubt I would be able to earn as much money as I have throughout most of high school.</p>
<p>You have such great options other than MIT ... options that will provide you an incredible education without a ton of debt ... that I hope you will apply to a number of the schools suggested. It's all a bit of a "luck" thing in the big scholarship game, so you have to make sure you get your name out to enough places to improve your chances. You definitely have a great chance at some big money.</p>
<p>Let me get this straight: You have parents whose income is in the top 1% of families in the United States, you live in a beautiful home, and you drive a 2005 Mustang to school (but have to pay for the gas out of your allowance?). And you're telling us life is not fair because HYPSM won't pay for your college education so your parents don't have to -- or so you don't have to go to a lowly top 20 school versus a top five one.</p>
<p>Got it.</p>
<p>Save up your allowance and buy a copy of Dave Eggers' book What is the What. After you've read it, THEN tell your parents and the FA people at these schools how unfair life has been for you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Let me get this straight: You have parents whose income is in the top 1% of families in the United States, you live in a beautiful home, and you drive a 2005 Mustang to school (but have to pay for the gas out of your allowance?). And you're telling us life is not fair because HYPSM won't pay for your college education so your parents don't have to -- or so you don't have to go to a lowly top 20 school versus a top five one.</p>
<p>Got it.</p>
<p>Save up your allowance and buy a copy of Dave Eggers' book What is the What. After you've read it, THEN tell your parents and the FA people at these schools how unfair life has been for you.
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<p>You seem to have gleamed a lot of incorrect information from my posts. Everything that I buy is paid for with money that I make from one of two jobs that I have held throughout much of high school. I do not receive, and never have received, any form of allowance. My car was purchased with my own money that I made from working, NOT allowance. You seem to think beautiful and large are synonymous, they're not. I am in no way saying that life has been unfair to me; I merely explained that this single particular system precluded me from attending one of the schools that I always wished to attend. </p>
<p>You got it?</p>
<p>Please either read the entire thread or read more thoroughly next time before you start posting your vitriolic attacks.</p>
<p>I apologize for my harsh tone. I am also very sorry that you have been dealt such a crummy hand in life.</p>
<p>However, I am confident that you are going to do just fine, especially if you start focusing on all the wonderful opportunities you have been given in the past and the terrific options you have for the future, rather than what you perceive as unfairness in the system.</p>
<p>You could clean up with merit scholarships at lots of schools. And, heck, given how successful you seem to have been at making and saving money from part-time jobs, you might be one student who could successfully pay off $120,000 in undergrad school loans -- if going to your dream school is that important to you, and if you get accepted to it.</p>
<p>There are lots of excellent students whose college choices are -- and have been in the past -- limited by family finances, just as there are lots of good people whose choice of house, car, vacation, standard of living, etc. is impacted by family finances. Welcome to the world. And good luck.</p>
<p>"To answer your questions, yes, I live in large house. However, this house is situated 20 miles from my high school and all my friends and driving to school by itself costs me about 5$ a day." - There aren't any school buses in your town??</p>
<p>No school buses where I live (except the "short" ones...)...not that that's the point...</p>
<p>California</a> school districts ending or reducing bus service for students - Los Angeles Times</p>
<p>"Unlike most other states, California does not require districts to provide home-to-school transportation except in limited circumstances. Fewer than 15% of the state's 6.3 million students ride school buses, according to a 2007 report by the state auditor's office. "</p>